"Don't ruin Tamils' future" Jaffna Bishops tells President, PM

[TamilNet, Thursday, 25 December 2003, 12:03 GMT]The Bishop of Jaffna Rt. Rev. Thomas Saundranayagam in his Christmas message Thursday appealed to Sri Lanka’s President and Prime Minister not to let the current power struggle between them ruin the opportunity for the Tamil people to achieve a prosperous future. “The leader of the Liberation Tigers, Mr. V. Pirapaharan, made a firm commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the longstanding Tamil question in his Heroes’ Day speech. We welcome his stand at this critical juncture”, the Bishop of Jaffna said in his message.

Rt Rev.Thomas Saundranayagam said he is making the appeal on behalf of the Tamils who lost their freedom and fundamental rights and have been suffering due to the war and other destruction for two decades.

“We should guide our Tamil youth taking into consideration the future of Tamils. The talents of today's youth should be harnessed to lead a life that could make them the good leaders of tomorrow. Tamils are not even prepared think of another war in their dreams, as they are the people who have to face the brutal consequences of it.

"The current constitutional crisis between the President and Prime Minister has caused serious concern among Tamils. A political solution to the ethnic conflict can be achieved only through the joint efforts of the President and Prime Minister,” the Bishop said in his message.